SHACKLETON SERIES WINTER RACE DATES

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BLUE MOON RETURNS TO SALE CREEK MARINA - The luxury cruiser Blue Moon has recently returned to Sale Creek Marina after spending the summer and fall months in downtown Chattanooga. Once again, the Blue Moon will be offering naturalist-guided tours to the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge. The boat is a 70 foot plus luxury cruiser, built by Skipperliner, featuring dual decks for viewing comfort. If you like to feel the wind in your hair, the upper deck provides plenty of open space, while the lower deck has an enclosed climate controlled area as well as an open viewing area on the forward deck. The Blue Moon is also available for private parties, charters, and weddings. For more information call 1-888-993-2583 or visit their website at www.bluemooncruises.org .

FREE FOR ALL REGATTA 2007 - Thanks to all that showed up to sail in the annual Free For All Regatta. What is a Free For All Regatta you ask? Well, it is free to sail, it is for everyone, there are no trophies involved, and we don't post the results - except to congratulate the winner - and this year victory goes to Warren Sickler on the Ranger 23 I Soar. It was a beautiful, sunny, spring day - great for sailing!

WELCOME BACK! Wasn't it Thomas Wolfe that said you can't go home again? Well, he was wrong. We greatly welcome the return of the Lings - Rodger, Annie, and Laura - after their adventuresome 1-1/2 year Caribbean/East Coast Tour. Their S2 35 Seaductress is parked in it's old slip, although there are some of us that will continue to call their boat Food Acres. We were hoping for a slide show presentation of their trip but this seems unlikely as the cost of converting several thousand pictures to slides must be somewhat expensive. And a photo by photo account of their trip would probably span over a few days. So if you are planning a cruise on your boat and want to see what it is like, or if you simply want to live your cruising life vicariously through someone else, by all means visit their cruising blog at http://www.stationr.org/water/log/index.html . There are some really fabulous photos and entertaining blog entries!

CHICKAMAUGA LOCK UPDATE - The ground breaking has been done on the new Chickamauga Lock scheduled for completion sometime in 2010. There have been many rumors floating around as to how the construction for the next several  years will effect local boating. From what we have read, the effect will be very little. According to the Army Corps of Engineers, lock closures will be minimal and the water levels are not expected to vary from normal seasonal adjustments. For more information on the lock construction, please visit http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/pao/chickamaugalock/ .

DID YOU KNOW? Tennessee residents born after January 1, 1989 must show a TWRA-issued boating safety education certificate when operating a boat or personal watercraft. This certificate must be on board with you. For more information on how to obtain this certificate contact the TWRA website at www.tnwildlife.org or call 1-800-837-6012.

Nelson Bennett shows how little wind is needed to sail his Sea Pearl 21 as he glides around behind "A Dock".